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During the semester, I shall post course material and students will comment on it. Students are also free to comment on any aspect of American politics, either current or historical. There are only two major limitations: no coarse language, and no derogatory comments about people at the Claremont Colleges. This blog is on the open Internet, so post nothing that you would not want a potential employer to see. Syllabus: http://gov20h.blogspot.com/2023/08/draft-introduction-to-american-politics.html

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Links Galore Concerning Lobbying, PACs, and Interest Groups.

The mass amounts off lobbyists in DC uphold Toqueville's beloved idea of the people's ability to hold an active role in the running and legislation of their government. In the article seen here Robert Kuttner argues that although the lobbyists are using their rights to check the government,  the lobbyists do not exactly represent the whole of society. He discusses the issues surrounding political disengagement, as well as the shift from personal involvement in government to a system in which one expects elected officials to do all of the work. 

AND...
Video Clips 
 

Jack Abramoff: The lobbyist's playbook

Are voters choosing candidates -- or special interest groups?

Look at the Top 50 Interest Groups here 

Find the statistics regarding lobbying from 1998 to today that we looked at in class here

And if you're really bored, look at these wonderfully misspelled Tea Party signs, labeled "Teabonics"
 

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